“Miss, I want to promote tourism…but you could walk it!” This was the answer to a question I had earlier asked on where I could perhaps get a taxi to take me to the Kariwak Village. “Alrighty,” I thought and all geared up in high heels and trolley bag in tow, I strutted along the pavement, passed the police station which is located next to the Crown Point International Airport, took a right turn and believe it or not…I was there!

As I walked along the entrance to Kariwak, my anxiety exceeded all limits simply because it was impossible to view what was located behind the welcoming sign. All I could see was the greenery which hinted to me that this was truly going to be a nature-filled adventure. In no time at all, I was stepping across an arched, wooden bridge which led me directly to the hotel’s restaurant where I was warmly greeted by Sally. This vibrant, young woman wasted no time in getting me an escort to my room. From the restaurant, we managed to turn corners, pass the swimming pool and walk down red brick pathways in order to arrive at my room. I was somewhat intrigued by the number of tall flower bushes which lined the walkways, since they added to the privacy of each cabana and made the surroundings more village-like, an observation which was later drawn to my attention as being purposely done in order to create an environment which resembled that of the Amerindian villages.

“Most of the creative ideas are really his vision of what he wanted to do,” said Cynthia Clovis, who, together with her husband Allan Clovis, created and established this truly superb getaway in 1982. She informed me that she had in fact met her husband in Canada and “in coming back to Tobago, there were times when we stayed in large hotels and there were times when we stayed in small guest houses. So originally, we tried to extract what we liked of both experiences. So we combined the standards, foods and accommodational services that the large hotels had to offer and married that with some of the informality and personality that the small guest houses had to offer.”

After my welcoming, I again headed off to the area where I met with one of the yoga instructors. Jacqueline Quesnel, a nurse by profession, was born in Trinidad but had the opportunity to study abroad where, at university in Florida, she was able to study this particular art form more in depth. She proudly explained to me that “yoga is a science, a practice, an art that joins the masculine and the feminine…the heaven and the earth,” and in so doing, the form of yoga practiced at the Kariwak Village is Hatha Yoga which “strengthens the body and calms the mind.” She continued by saying that this form of exercise is actually done with the combination of breathing and awareness gently working with the body limbs, which in turn removes toxins from the internal system. “You’re working to massage the internal organs by compressing and releasing them. You’re also massaging the thyroid glands in a lot of the postures and the thyroid is directly connected to metabolism. So therefore that’s a direct impact on weight.” Weight? Her statement shocked me at first because I was really not aware that yoga was in any way related to weight loss. Jacqueline went on to explain that yoga is not about a body type, instead she continued, “The more yoga that you do, the more aware of your body you become…you make better food choices because you’re so much more in tune with your body and the energy of your body and what it needs and you start to feel the difference.” It was here that I felt compelled to ask whether she viewed yoga as being a form of medicine since she was by profession within the medical field. “I see it as having great advocations – mind, body, spirit – in terms of healing. From that perspective, if you call that medicine, then yes!”

Mrs. Clovis had earlier mentioned to me that not until the expansion project of the resort was undertaken during the early nineteen nineties that they were fully able to develop the idea of having a holistic haven, “ …just a place where we could give people the option of taking time out from their normal lives and living healthy.” It was during this period that Tanya Clovis (the daughter of Cynthia and Allan), another of the instructors, really began her practice of yoga. She informed me that yoga has enabled her to become a lot more focused and she jokes, “ to find a quiet place in my own head.” Tanya felt that whatever a person may bring to the practice of yoga, the practice will give back in return. Although I was very impressed by what I heard from both women, what made a greater impact on me were the closing words of Jacqueline who said, “Very often mothers don’t have much time. They’re juggling with time and if you come to a yoga class, what happens is you afford yourself the tension release, which is so important and you give yourself a sense of very deep relaxation. But to have that combination all in one for a mother is a find.” She feels that by so doing mothers are able to get both their exercise and deep relaxation and by taking that back to their homes, they are able to relate to the family without being irritated in any way since they would have acquired the stillness, quietness and tension release for which they so yearn.

Before my second interview, I took the opportunity to relax in the restaurant /bar area. It was here that I noticed the beautiful corals placed unto one of the walls. My curiosity got the best of me and I was informed that those corals were actually retrieved from the excavation of the pool. Of course, the bamboos and the Caribbean artwork placed along the walls were difficult to go unnoticed and these, I thought, indeed added to the richness of our beauty and culture.

“It’s a place where a lot of care is put into,” beamed Mrs. Clovis as she shared with me the thought and effort put into creating such an atmosphere. “We’ve used everything that we could possibly take advantage of…that’s available in Tobago and also we have tried to embrace the environment that Tobago has to offer. So, there’s about one hundred species of plants. Not all are indigenous to Tobago, but they’re indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago and with the plants, there come all different birds and butterflies.”

It was definitely worth seeing for myself and having been given the opportunity I hastened towards the garden area. The beauty of the flowered pathways which led me across the garden was highlighted by the rippling waterfalls and the singing of the birds in the distance. I slowly walked ahead since I kept hearing the rippling of water and to my utmost surprise as I turned the corner I found an amazingly romantic retreat. This private getaway consisted of a heart-shaped pool with waterfalls behind, secluded only by the flowered bushes around it. Breathtaking indeed!

At this point, I remembered another interview which had to be conducted and as I made my way to the area which was currently being occupied by the yoga students, I met David and Dawn Glaisher. This extraordinary couple wasted no time in introducing themselves and I quickly learnt that they were the Tai Chi instructors at the resort. They explained to me that Tai Chi is an internal martial art which can be started at any age. However, they informed me that the correct term was actually Tai Chi Chuan (Chinese philosophy) which means the system or the way of Tai Chi. They explained that Tai Chi is also referred to as Chigong or Chikung which means working with the internal energy and this in turn “detoxifies you, strengthens your internal organs, builds your immunity, gives you the ability to focus…to be calm…” Although men have traditionally practiced Tai Chi, more women tend to partake in it at the resort and David informed me that this art form “leads to the balance and harmony of the individual.” In addition, Dawn added that it leads to long life, improves the strength of the muscles, ligaments and tenders, lowers blood pressure and de-stresses the body.

Luckily, Dawn and David were just about to hold a Tai Chi session and invited me along to view. The venue was the “ajoupa”. According to the Amerindian language, “ajoupa” stands for an open dwelling, which is exactly what this was. Mrs. Clovis had explained to me that a number of ajoupas were constructed at Kariwak. This thatched-roof structure was painstakingly built since its shape took the form of an octagon ( the original Amerindian ajoupas were not in this shape) and in so completing the teak fl oor, strips of the material had to be placed from the tiniest one in the middle to the largest on the periphery. Would you believe that the very fi rst event, which took place there was a two and a half hour discourse done by none other than the Dalai Lama? This Mrs. Clovis explained as being “purely coincidence or maybe more than coincidence,” since this privilege was afforded to them when they hosted him while he visited Tobago. She described the Dalai Lama as being magical and beaming and I could sense the pride which she felt to have been a part of this historical event.

After the Tai Chi class, I made my way back to the restaurant, which seemed to be the centre of activities, since it was now dinner. I was informed that Mrs. Clovis is the person who creates all of the menus and ensures that the food is prepared to reflect a healthy eating lifestyle. Herbs are generously used in the meals, which are prepared by Mrs. Clovis herself, who pointed out that no preservatives or additives are ever used. She also proudly explained that a visitor at the resort would never have an identical dinner served, since the menu is only repeated every two to three weeks.

My final meeting took place the morning after. I was awakened to the chirping of birds outside of my room and I rushed to get a glimpse of a small flock flying across the tall flower bushes. After I was dressed, I made my way towards the restaurant where coffee and tea were prepared and complimentarily offered to everyone.

It was then that I walked across to the spa. Although it is referred to as a spa, Ms.Vidya Shridat explained to me that it is really a holistic healing centre. She continued by saying that “spa conjures up body wraps and exfoliation… spa treatments are surface treatments. What we do here are treatments where healing starts from internally to externally…so we’re into holistic healing.” She noted, importantly too, that chemicals and synthetic products are not used in their treatments. Although I was unable to meet with Usha Inniss, the person who manages the spa, I was informed of the various treatments offered there. Vidya demonstrated how the bio-photon light therapy is conducted and explained that energy is the prerequisite for all life and by placing the red light against the body, health and rejuvenation are promoted at the cellular level within the body. Other treatments available at the spa include the ayurvedic body work which combines the methods of western treatments with those of the East, whereby aromatherapy oils and hot stones are used to treat energy imbalances, reflexology which is based on the knowledge that finger pressure to various parts of the hands and feet can create healing influences on the body, lymph drainage, breath therapy, scoliosis therapy, abhyanga (Indian oil massage), aromatherapy, flower essences and champissage ( Indian head massage) and the ozonated bath.

My stay at the Kariwak Village lead me to believe that everyone is indeed responsible for his or her own health and therefore someone choosing to be a part of this holistic environment will greatly benefit in terms of becoming more educated with what is required in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I believe that the Kariwak resort represents in some way the simplicity, knowledge and beliefs that the Amerindians possessed. Simplicity because nothing boasts of the hustle, bustle and tribulations associated with every day interactions; knowledge because of the vast range of intelligence and wisdom which emanate from those who give of themselves for the well-being of its visitors; beliefs because of the idea of healing the mind, body and spirit via internal treatments in order to achieve utmost peace and relaxation. As Mrs. Clovis mentioned at the end of my stay at the Kariwak Village, “It’s just a celebration of life really.”